HC Deb 21 December 1989 vol 164 c375W
Mr. Alton

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has as to the rate of miscarriage in pregnant women as a result of receiving an amniocentesis; and if he will give the source of his information.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley

A recent report from the Royal College of Physicians states that the best studies suggest a 1 per cent. excess risk of spontaneous abortion following amniocentesis. (Source:Prenatal diagnosis and genetic screening. Royal College of Physicians, September 1989, paragraphs 2.33–2.35.)